Life histories of the Neolithic Transition: Estimating and modelling European life history events and human fertility rates

Informazioni relative al progetto

EUROLIFE

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 656203

DOI

10.3030/656203

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 27 Marzo 2015

Data di avvio 7 Dicembre 2015

Data di completamento 6 Dicembre 2017

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 183 454,80

Contributo UE

€ 183 454,80

Coordinato da

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUROLIFE (Life histories of the Neolithic Transition: Estimating and modelling European life history events and human fertility rates)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2015-12-07 al 2017-12-06

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Some studies on living humans and great apes have indicated that life-history parameters (LHP) such as pregnancies, skeletal trauma, and renal disease can be identified from hypomineralized growth layers of tooth cementum. The explanation offered was that lack of available calcium at the mineralization front of the cementum during those “crisis” events causes formation of a hypomineralized growth layer. By observing different visual effects of those layers, hypomineralized ones can be detected, as they appear to be broader, wider and darker under optical magnification with transmuted light. However, use of tooth cementum growth layers as an individual age estimation method and as a life history identification aid remains sporadic, with results often carefully qualified or disputed.
Project EUROLIFE’s primary aim was to develop and test a new method for establishing human LHPs from teeth microstructure.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

To do so, the project investigated if chemical composition and degree of mineralization of hydroxyapatite of tooth cementum is more reliable source of data for detection of the important LHP from human teeth then just their visual effects as proposed in previous studies. Results of this project’s novel approach significantly increased our ability to detect and interpret how variation in tooth cementum mineralization may relate to LHPs such as pregnancies. Furthermore, the project’s results demonstrate that much more methodological and interpretative caution is required by life-history researchers. Any temptation to apply superficially plausible life-history data obtained from poorly explored cases must be resisted until the underlying processes are fully understood. Many aspects of cementum research remain in their infancy. This topic requires significantly more clinical research before it can be applied to archaeological case-studies.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

N/A

Obtaining distribution maps of the molecular ions of Ca+ and HAp+.